African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious haemorrhagic disease in pigs and has become endemic in several Vietnam provinces since the first outbreak in 2019. The presence of carriers and the recurrence of disease in the surviving swine herd after an ASF outbreak has not previously been properly evaluated. In this study, pigs naturally infected with an acute form of ASF were allowed to recover from the disease. A serological follow-up was conducted for more than 14 months with 14 convalescent gilts and their offspring. All convalescent animals had long lasting high serum antibody levels without persistent viremia. They also did not excrete virus via nasal discharge post-recovery. These convalescent pigs could partially perform as replacement gilts despite the fact that ASF affected reproductive performance. Here, we confirmed that there were neither the carriers of nor recurrence of disease in the convalescent pigs and their offspring following the outbreak of acute ASF. These findings may facilitate efforts to design a new farming model in ASF endemic provinces in Vietnam where there is a lack of a repopulation strategy due to the limited funding received from the local regulatory authorities.
Keywords: African swine fever; convalescent pigs; long-term follow-up.
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